|
The Complete Guide to
Vegetarian Convenience Foods Protein,
Calcium, Iron, Vitamins, Cholesterol & Fat
Protein
Vegetarians and vegans alike easily meet their protein
requirement by eating a varied diet of vegetables, grains,
and legumes. Consuming a variety of these foods sufficient
to meet your caloric needs ensures that you will get
enough protein in your diet.
On the other hand, people who subsist on the Standard
American Diet typically consume twice the amount of
protein required by the human body. In case you are
thinking that you cannot consume too much protein, bear
in mind that excessive protein intake leads to osteoporosis
and overworks the kidneys, liver, and digestive system.
Calcium
Many people wonder how vegans obtain their calcium.
Although we have been led to believe that dairy products
are the best source of this essential mineral, many
plant foods provide the necessary calcium we need (without
depleting it from our bodies at the same time.) Excessive
protein intake depletes the body of calcium, so that
when you drink a glass of milk, you later excrete the
calcium in your urine. Contrary to popular belief, osteoporosis
(wasting away of the bone tissue), is not a disease
of calcium deficiency, but rather of calcium depletion.
Dark, leafy, green vegetables are an excellent source
of calcium. These include kale, collard greens, and
spinach. Broccoli is also high in calcium as are soybeans,
tofu, (particularly tofu made with calcium sulfate),
tempeh, sesame seeds, figs, sea vegetables, molasses,
and almonds. Many soy and rice milks are also fortified
with calcium. One simple way to get calcium into your
diet is to substitute dark leafy greens for lettuce
(which has negligible nutritional value).
Try using collard or other greens on a burger or sandwich,
in salads, and shredded and sprinkled over cooked grains
or pasta dishes. It’s colorful, nutritious, and
delicious.
Iron
Dark leafy greens also provide us with another essential
nutrient, iron.
Other iron-rich foods include dried beans, blackstrap
molasses, and dried fruits such as raisins and figs.
Vitamins
A varied diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains
contains bountiful quantities of Vitamin A (in the form
of beta-carotene), vitamin C, and vitamin E. Exposure
to sunlight ensures your body will manufacture all the
vitamin D it requires.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin B12 is
only 2 micrograms per day. However, it can be a bit
tricky to obtain on a vegan diet. B12, necessary for
healthy nerves and blood, is produced by bacteria naturally
present in soil and water. Industrial agricultural practices
have resulted in chemical pollution that has killed
off many of these microorganisms. Eating vegetables
freshly pulled from the ground and drinking water alone,
will no longer guarantee us a sufficient supply of B12.
Because B12 is also present in the intestines of animals,
carnivores and lacto-ovo vegetarians derive sufficient
quantities of B12 from their diets. However, there is
no reason to include animal products in your diet to
get B12. Reliable vegan sources of B12 include fortified
breakfast cereals, soy milks, and rice beverages.
Red Star Nutritional Yeast, which adds an appealing
cheese-like flavor to foods, is also a great source
of B12. Another way to ensure you are getting this essential
vitamin, is by taking a multi-vitamin or vitamin B12
supplements.
Cholesterol and Fat
All of the foods listed in Gail's book are completely
cholesterol-free. Many products are fat-free or low
fat making these foods sound choices for a heart-healthy
diet. Foods that are fat-free are identified by the
§ symbol. Many recent scientific studies show that no
more than 15% of our daily calories should come from
fat and all health experts agree that the amount of
fat consumed by the average American should be drastically
reduced.
There are many completely vegetarian foods which are
excluded from Gail's book because they contain hydrogenated
or partially hydrogenated oils. Unlike other vegetable
oils, these oils are high in saturated fat. When you
eat foods containing artery-clogging hydrogenated oils,
your body responds by producing cholesterol. You may
as well eat lard!
Hydrogenated oils are liquid oils that have been chemically
altered to be solid at room temperature. Manufacturers
use them because they are cheap, have a long shelf life,
and add a smooth texture to foods. Products containing
any of these oils should be avoided. Also, beware of
products containing soy margarine. They usually contain
hydrogenated soybean oil, although it may not be listed
on the product label as such.
So, What’s for Breakfast?
You’ll find that when you are transitioning to
a vegetarian diet, breakfast is the most effortless
meal of the day. Without even realizing it, you are
probably already eating mostly vegetarian food for breakfast.
The best breakfasts include fruit. You can quickly blend
a fresh fruit smoothie, (see the recipe on page 23 of
Gail's book) or top any cold or hot cereal with sliced
bananas, raisins, or berries.
There is an abundance of packaged multi-grain cereals
to choose from, over which you can pour one of the many
dairy-free alternatives to cow’s milk listed in
Chapter 2. Granola is another delicious option; just
watch out for the fat content. Choose low fat varieties
when you shop for granola. Hot cereal choices include,
oatmeal, farina, cream of wheat, and delicious multi-grain
varieties made from various combinations of rye, barley,
buckwheat, and rice.
Two wonderful breakfast standbys are hearty whole grain
toast, and bagels topped with a dollop of fruit-only
preserves (see p. 68), a schmear of cream cheese alternative
(see p. 29), or Spectrum Spread (see p. 69). Bagels
now come in so many creative varieties, it’s hard
to choose. I usually enjoy my bagels plain and untoasted.
After all, what do you really need to add to a banana
walnut bagel? It’s a complete eating experience
all by itself!
Once only found in places like New York and Chicago,
almost every county across America now boasts at least
one bagel bakery. Just stay away from the egg bagels
and if you’re not sure of the ingredients, ask
the bagel baker.
For the more adventurous, there are many wonderful
recipes for vegan muffins, scrambled tofu, pancakes,
waffles, and even french toast. For those of you ready
to take the next step in your vegetarian evolution and
begin exploring fun and exciting recipe ideas, I highly
recommend The Peaceful Palate by Jennifer Raymond, published
by Heart & Soul Publications. Within its pages you
will find a delightful collection of delicious, low
fat, and simple to prepare vegan recipes.
Product Labels
ALWAYS READ PRODUCT LABELS! I cannot over stress this
point. In addition to checking the nutritional value
of the item, be sure to read the listed ingredients.
There are many foods excluded from this book because
they contain products derived from animals or hydrogenated
oils. You may go shopping and discover that I have not
listed a particular flavor or variety in a given product
line. Careful inspection of the label may
reveal the inclusion of an objectionable ingredient
in that flavor or variety. Ingredients to watch out
for in otherwise healthy sounding vegetarian food items
include: whey, butter, milk solids, hydrogenated or
partially hydrogenated oil, soy margarine, (usually
contains hydrogenated soybean oil), gelatin, anchovies,
and egg whites (which may also be listed as “albumin”).
Where Do I Buy It?
IF YOU CAN’T FIND IT, ASK FOR IT! Most of the products
you’ll learn about in Gail's book will be readily
available at your local natural foods store. Supermarkets
are beginning to stock natural food items in an effort
to recover some of the consumer dollars lost to the
growing number of health food stores throughout the
country. A few food companies which traditionally catered
to traditional American dietary tastes, have expanded
their product lines to include healthy, vegetarian alternatives.
These products, like Green Giant’s Harvest Burger
for Recipes™ are only found in supermarkets. If
you cannot find a particular item, seek out the store
manager or buyer for that item. More often than not,
the store will do everything in its power to accommodate
special requests to bring in an item.
The best way to get a product you want into a store,
is simply to ask for it. In some cases, a store
may not be able to get a special request item in house.
They may not have the proper distribution channels in
place to obtain the product, or in the case of some
natural foods store chains, their corporate policy may
determine that the item does not meet with their internal
guidelines.
To the right of each product entry in Gail's book,
you will find the name of the company that manufactures,
imports, or distributes the product. At the back of
the book is a supplier’s index which lists the
name, address, and phone number of every company. You
are encouraged to contact these suppliers directly if
you are unsuccessful in obtaining a product at the store
level. Manufacturers want to know if their products
are not readily available to the customers who want
them. They may even be able to direct you to a store
in your area that carries the item you are looking for.
Also, many suppliers provide retail mail order service
and can ship products directly to you. These companies
are highlighted in bold print.
If you are lucky enough to live within driving distance
of a Trader Joe’s market, I strongly urge you to
discover this marvel of modern discount food shopping.
Not only will you find many of the more popular items
listed in this book at drastically reduced prices, but
TJ’s has an abundance of prepared vegetarian convenience
foods manufactured under its own private label, including
delicious fresh fruit smoothies and ethnic entrees.
Share Your Food Finds!
Exciting, new, completely vegetarian convenience foods
are constantly being developed and introduced into the
market. If you find a new item not mentioned in this
book, and would like to share your discovery with others,
please write and tell me about it. I’ll be happy
to include these products in subsequent editions of
So, Now What Do I Eat? Please send product info to:
Blue Coyote Press, P.O. Box 2101, Corrales, New Mexico
87048.
The Difference Your Food Choices Make
Few of us realize the awesome power of our dietary choices.
Just by consciously deciding to center our diets around
plant-based foods we can drastically reduce our risk
of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and
breast, prostate, and colon cancers. We can help put
an end to the extraordinary human suffering caused by
hunger and malnutrition. We can effectively stop the
senseless destruction of our world’s rainforests
which produce 80% of the Earth’s oxygen. We can
significantly impact our environmental concerns by reducing
the toxic pollution of our air, soil, and water. Did
you know that animal agriculture accounts for more pollution
of our country’s waters than all other sources
combined? We can cut down on the thoughtless waste of
these precious natural resources, which are not limitless.
We can teach our children to become more loving and
compassionate human beings by ceasing to raise them
on the suffering of sentient creatures.
Imagine . . . all of this power is just sitting there
on the end of our forks!
|
